TRANSCRIPT

JL - 'Big' John 'T-Bone' Little, interviewee / LR - Lyn Royce, interviewer

JL: ...I was playin'... My Dad was teachin' me drums there before, that's when I was about 4 years old, 4.

LR: Okay...

JL: And so he was teachin' me drums, so... Aunt Norval was playin' piano [at Nathaniel Dett Memorial Chapel, Niagara Falls]. So he said, 'This,' he says, 'You're gonna sit in with Aunt Norval and uh, play, play along with the drums.' I said, 'Okay.' So I got my little drum, my little drum set there, set up the thing, and I get there and then I says, 'Hunh. I'm not gonna do this.' Dad says, 'You're gonna do it.' I: 'No I'm not.' 'Come here, I wanna talk to you.' Took me to the back there; beat my buttwad till I [chuckling] have to [snuffles]; 'Now you get out there and play the drums or you're gonna get some more!' I'm up there playin' the drums [snuffles again], you know. But I played! [laughs] Aw, that was some good memories, I'll tell you about that. And Aunt Norval was playin' piano and she... Everybody thought... a big kick outta that; I was sittin' there, you know [makes grumpy kid's face]...

LR: Grumpy face... [chuckles]

JL: But then everybody clapped; I says, 'Oho!' I guess that was my first act of show business, I guess.